A bold yet sweet story about sexuality, trust, and relationships.
With help from someone unexpected, an 18-year-old girl takes the summer after her senior year to explore her desires and learn about her passions.
Jessica Webster was OK being the shy, frumpy friend in her social group, until her brother called and told her that in a month, he’d be bringing his gorgeous college roommate home to stay before they head off together on a volunteer trip. This is the same roommate Jess has been crushing on but has been too shy to talk to. Enter hot frenemy Benjamin Oliver, quarterback and mayor’s son, who overhears her describing her dilemma and offers a solution: use the month to practice having sex with him so she’ll appeal to an experienced college boy. What starts off purely as physical exploration for Jess, who is white, turns into more as she discovers that Ben, who has a white dad and Venezuelan mom, is not the villain she’s made him out to be. In fact, he’s everything Jess wants in a partner. With Ben, Jess learns about intimacy and sex and how to voice her desires and state her boundaries. This is a compelling story about consent, empowerment, and owning one’s choices. The dialogue is witty and fun, with beautiful moments of honesty. Jess is a refreshing character who is OK with not having everything figured out, while Ben is an it boy who empowers those in his orbit.
A bold yet sweet story about sexuality, trust, and relationships. (author’s note) (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374097
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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